OntarioRental Housing Information

New Ontario Tenant Protection Act
The first reading version of Bill 96, introduced on November 21, 1996. The Bill replaces the Rent Control Act, 1992, Part IV of the Landlord and Tenant Act, the Rental Housing Protection Act, the Municipal Amendment Act, (Vital Services), 1994, the Land Lease Statute Law Amendment Act, 1994 and the Residents' Rights Act, 1994

Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal
Have a question about rent control or landlord and tenant rights? The Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal resolves disputes between landlords and tenants and provides information about the Tenant Protection Act.

Commercial Tenancies(PDF - 48K)
Find out about the rights and obligations for commercial tenants and landlords.

Summary of Existing Ontario Law

Application Fee:

Rent Control: increases only once every twelve months, with limits and 90 day notice.

Notice to quit for non-payment:

Notice to terminate: 60 days

Average time to complete eviction: 90 to 150 days is common.

Maximum Security Deposit: one rental period up to one month

Time allowed to return Security Deposit:

Interest on Security Deposit: 6%

Late charges:

Summary of Changes in New Ontario Law

Rent controls protect sitting tenants only.

Landlords will be able to have sustained rent increases beyond the present 2.8%

Removes the "automatic rent freezes" of the current Rent Control Act which prevents landlords from increasing rents if repairs ordered by local governments are not yet complete.

Disputes under the Landlord and Tenant Act are currently heard by the courts, under the Bill these matters, as well as rent applications, will be determined by members of the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal appointed under the Act.

Allows some rental housing to be demolished or converted to other uses

Environmental Laws Affecting Rental Housing

Ontario's private rental market consists of approximately 1.3 million rental units in over 300,000 buildings. Rents are usually between $600 to $800 a month for a two-bedroom unit. In Toronto and Ottawa, 75 per cent of the market is at or below $800 a month in rent. Over three-quarters of all renter households are located in metropolitan areas in Ontario, and almost one-half of the renter households are located in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area.

A large majority (80 per cent) of rental buildings are made up of four or fewer units, indicating that the bulk of landlords own small buildings. Only 23 per cent of rental units are found in large, high-rise buildings of 100 or more units.

Since the imposition of rent controls, private investment in new rental housing has declined from an average of over 26,000 new units a year in the late 1960s and early 1970s, to less than 2,000 units a year. Approximately 60,000 people move into the Greater Toronto Area each year but only 20 private sector rental units were built last year. That limited supply has lead to a vacancy rate in Toronto of 0.8 per cent which is expected to continue to decline further. The vacancy rate in Windsor is about 1.6 per cent.